KOALA MONITORING PROGRAM KOALA BEACH ESTATE
SUMMARY
Prepared on behalf of Tweed Shire Council and the Koala Beach Wildlife and Habitat Management Committee
(KBW&HMC)
by
John Callaghan, Graeme Lloyd, Tanya Fountain & Dr Jonathon Rhodes
December 2012
2 SUMMARY
The Koala Beach koala monitoring program was commenced in 2005 with the establishment and initial surveying of 20 faecal pellet survey sites and three strip transects. Since 2005, follow-up surveys have been completed in 2007, 2010 and 2012. The monitoring program was designed to detect changes (trends) in the
distribution and status of the local koala population. This is necessary to help evaluate the longer-term impacts of the development on the local koala population and to gauge the success of conservation measures contained in the Koala Beach Koala Plan of Management prepared by the Australian Koala Foundation.
Twenty Spot Assessment (SAT) sites were selected, surveyed and marked as long- term monitoring stations by the Australian Koala Foundation in October and
November 2005, together with three approximately 1 km-long search transects. The SAT survey stations were distributed widely across Koala Beach, with site locations ranging from adjacent to the developed areas to near the extremities of the Estate. The SAT survey stations are primarily located in areas of high and medium quality koala habitat (i.e., sites dominated or co-dominated by preferred koala tree species), as these areas provide the greatest likelihood for early detection of trends in habitat use.
The 20 SAT sites and three strip-transects were re-surveyed during each monitoring period during late Spring and Summer. Two-year intervals were selected for the monitoring as this would allow sufficient time for koala pellets to decompose between monitoring periods.
Summary findings to date:
i) Koala faecal pellets were recorded from all twenty SAT survey sites in 2005, 2007 and 2010 and from eighteen sites in 2012.
ii) Throughout the overall monitoring period, significant downward trends in activity have been recorded for ten of the twenty SAT survey sites.
iii) Significant overall downward trends were also detected for a further seven SAT survey sites, although an upward trending activity level was recorded in 2012.
3 iv) Activity levels for the remaining three SAT sites were reasonably stable through
the monitoring period, with two sites recording slightly higher activity in 2012 than initially recorded in 2005. These two sites are located approximately 500m and 700m to the northeast of Stage 5.
v) Koalas were recorded from transect searches during all four monitoring periods:
one adult female with a back young and one sub-adult male in 2005; two adult females in 2007; two adult females and one adult male in 2010; and one adult female and one adult male in 2012.
vi) Seven incidental koala sightings were recorded during the monitoring surveys in 2005, four in 2007, six in 2010, and three in 2012.
vii) Two koala skulls were observed in the northwest section of the site during the 2012 surveys. One of these skulls showed signs of predation or scavenging by a dog or fox.
viii) Several koala sightings and accounts of koala bellowing have been reported by Koala Beach residents over the past few months.
Overview:
The downward trends in koala activity over the course of the monitoring period to date pose very serious concerns for the future of the koala population at Koala Beach.
The indications of koala declines for the Koala Beach Estate may well be indicative of a broader decline trend in the Tweed coast koala population as reported by Biolink in the Tweed Coast Koala Habitat Study for Tweed Shire Council in January 2011. The Biolink study indicated that the extent of koala occupancy has halved for the Koala Coast in recent years, with fire frequency and intensity over the past decade identified as the major contributing factor.
Despite the above concerns, the ongoing persistence of koalas at Koala Beach coupled with positive indications for several of the SAT sites and the spate of recent koala sightings and activity all suggest that there is hope for retaining a local koala population. The success of Council’s koala conservation programs for the broader Tweed Coast area will undoubtedly be a key determining factor in the years ahead.
4 Detailed analysis for the Koala Beach monitoring data will continue in conjunction with further data for surrounding areas as it come to hand. Wild dog management programs for the Koala Beach site and surrounding areas may assist with maintenance and recovery of the local koala population.